Short-term Success of Keto
Similar to the trend of gluten-free diets, ketogenic diets initially catered to a niche group but gradually gained popularity among the general population. This surge in interest was largely fueled by endorsements by celebrities like Lebron James and Gwyneth Paltrow. However, recent research from Yale suggests that while a ketogenic diet can offer health benefits, its effectiveness diminishes after a brief duration.
The basic principle of keto involves reducing carbohydrate intake to induce a state of pseudo-starvation, prompting the body to burn its fat reserves for energy. Despite this mechanism, Yale researchers, through experiments on mice, found that the body tends to store fat even as it is being burned off. This imbalance results in mice consuming more fat than they burn after approximately a week, leading to conditions like diabetes and obesity, contradicting the diet’s intended purpose of preventing such issues.
Further studies involving human subjects are required to definitively assess the safety of long-term ketosis. Until then, unless a ketogenic diet is medically necessary, individuals may want to consider alternative dietary approaches or restrict keto to short time frames.
